Nearly 90 motorists were caught using their mobile phones in just one hour.

The drivers were nabbed at checkpoints in Dublin between 3pm and 4pm on Thursday.

Gardai said that the 89 people caught will receive penalty points and a €60 fine.

They advised motorists not to hold their mobile phone when in control of a car – even if it is cradled between your head and shoulder or if they are stopped at traffic lights.

Garda National Traffic Bureau boss John Twomey said: “We had a number of operations in action as part of the new initiative to improve safety on Irish roads.

“When you use a mobile phone you risk your own safety as well the safety of other road users. You also run the risk of prosecution.

“We continue this focus on motorists to ensure that our roads are safer.”

A Road Safety Authority spokeswoman added that while it’s disappointing so many people are being caught using a mobile phone while driving, “it certainly highlights the fact that the Gardai are out there targeting this killer behaviour”.

She said: “Studies clearly show you are four times more likely to have a crash while using a mobile phone when driving than a driver who isn’t distracted by a phone.

“Our advice is to always switch off before you drive off.”

Research by the RSA indicates as many as one in five drivers have at some point used their mobile phones while driving. One in 20 regularly talk on their handset or text behind the wheel, with one in ten at some stage sending an SMS when driving.

The RSA warned motorists who text while driving spend up to 400% more time with their eyes off the road.

Last year 29,938 mobile phone fixed charge notices were issued. And with 190 deaths on Irish roads last year the RSA has reminded motorists that using the handsets can be lethal.

The spokeswoman added: “Having your full attention is never more important than when you have the lives of other road users in your hands.

“If you drive and use a mobile phone [hand-held or hands-free] it will hinder your driving in different ways.

“It makes it harder for you to keep in lane, drive at the right speed and at a speed that other drivers can predict.

“It also affects your reaction times and your general awareness of other traffic. Not only is it dangerous, but it’s against the law.”